1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to vending machines and, more particularly, is concerned with a sanitized vending machine with product and cup dispensing mechanisms concentrically arranged with respect to each other upon a common rotatable wheel.
2. Description of the Background Art
Most prior art bulk coin-operated vending machines dispense their product items, such as candy or gum, into a non-removable cup fixed on, and ordinarily openable by manipulation of a pivotal flap mounted on the outside of, the housing of the machine which can be contacted and thus potentially contaminated by users' hands. The inventor of the subject matter disclosed herein has discerned that it is likely there are many potential users who would prefer alternative approaches for items to be dispensed from bulk vending machines so that the dispensed items cannot be contaminated through contact with parts of the vending machines which can be contacted and contaminated by users. An innovation which attempted to provide one alternative approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,351 by the inventor of the subject matter disclosed herein.
Another approach by the inventor herein is a first version of a sanitizing vending machine, which is the subject of the above-cited co-pending non-provisional patent application. The first version of the sanitizing vending machine and its method of operation is illustrated in attached FIGS. 1-9, 10A, 10B and 11-14.
As described hereinafter, the first version of the sanitizing vending machine has features that prevent all users from contaminating product items and parts of the machine that contact the product items, by only allowing the occurrence of certain actions within the machine and behind a locked external access door on the machine, and thus inaccessible to all users. These actions result in, first, dispensing a cup from a stack thereof, second, dispensing one or more selected product items from a supply thereof into the dispensed cup and, third, unlocking the access door to enable removal of the dispensed cup containing the product items. The dispensed cup with the product items can only be removed from the machine upon the door being unlocked due to a given user operating the machine to make a purchase through depositing the required coins into the machine and turning an external handle on the machine through a given actuating cycle.
While this first version of a sanitizing vending machine functions satisfactorily to prevent product contamination, it is perceived by the inventor of the subject matter disclosed herein that a need still exists for yet another approach to sanitized dispensing from bulk coin-operated vending machines.